U.S. patent number 6,238,291 [Application Number 09/200,451] was granted by the patent office on 2001-05-29 for cartridge, game machine and bi-directional communication type game system.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Seta Corporation. Invention is credited to Jun Fujimoto, Nobuyuki Nonaka, Masahiro Yamaguchi.
United States Patent |
6,238,291 |
Fujimoto , et al. |
May 29, 2001 |
Cartridge, game machine and bi-directional communication type game
system
Abstract
A game which two or more players can play, such as cards and
mahjong, is played by connecting a home TV game machine with
portable game machines having displays, where images for a common
field are displayed on the TV, and private hands of a player, which
should be concealed from the other players, are displayed only on a
display of the player's local machine so that strategies an actual
game is enjoyed. A plurality of portable game machines with
displays are connected via a cartridge to a home TV game machine to
which a ROM cassette is inserted for playing a game. The cartridge
of which one end is inserted to the portable game machine for
connection has a connection terminal on the other end, and the
connection terminal and a controller connection terminal of the
home TV game machine are connected with a communication cable. The
cartridge houses a ROM having built-in software, and an interface
to enable bi-directional communication of data and S-RAM for
storing data so that bi-directional communication between the home
TV game machine and the portable game machine is possible. The ROM
cassette has a built-in master software for displaying images which
all players can see, and the cartridge has a built-in slave
software for displaying a player's private hand only on the display
of the local machine.
Inventors: |
Fujimoto; Jun (Tokyo,
JP), Nonaka; Nobuyuki (Tokyo, JP),
Yamaguchi; Masahiro (Tokyo, JP) |
Assignee: |
Seta Corporation (Tokyo,
JP)
|
Family
ID: |
17799337 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/200,451 |
Filed: |
November 27, 1998 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Oct 15, 1998 [JP] |
|
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10-293801 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
463/44; 273/148B;
273/148R; 463/43; 463/46; 463/47; 463/45 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63F
13/02 (20130101); A63F 13/23 (20140902); A63F
13/95 (20140902); A63F 2300/206 (20130101); A63F
2300/403 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63F
13/02 (20060101); A63F 013/00 (); A63F 009/24 ();
G06F 017/00 (); G06F 019/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;463/44,45,46,47,43,30
;273/148B,148R |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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|
|
|
|
|
|
6-61390 |
|
Aug 1994 |
|
JP |
|
7-204349 |
|
Aug 1995 |
|
JP |
|
2-2784409 |
|
May 1998 |
|
JP |
|
10-235016 |
|
Sep 1998 |
|
JP |
|
Primary Examiner: Harrison; Jessica J.
Assistant Examiner: Nguyen; Binh-An D.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Oliff & Berridge, PLC
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A cartridge for connecting a portable game machine to a TV game
machine, comprising:
a case with a first connection terminal for connection to the TV
game machine and a second connection terminal for connection to the
portable game machine, wherein the case further comprises:
a bus for connecting the first and the second connection
terminals;
an interface connected to the bus for enabling bi-directional
communication between the portable game machine and the TV game
machine;
a ROM connected to the bus for storing a program content of a
prescribed game; and
a RAM for storing saved data to be added to the content of the
game.
2. The cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the interface
further comprises:
a selector for selectively connecting the RAM to at least one of
the first connection terminal for the TV game machine and the
second connection terminal for the portable game machine;
a state register for storing the selected state of the
selector;
a buffer for relaying the content of the state register to the
first connection terminal for the TV game machine and the second
connection terminal for the portable game machine;
a data register for temporarily storing such data as image display
instructions and voice output instructions which are input from the
first connection terminal for the TV game machine, outputting the
data to the second connection terminal for the portable game
machine, temporarily storing such data as input information of a
control system which is input from the second connection terminal
for the portable game machine, and outputting the data to the first
connection terminal for the TV game machine; and
a decoder connected to the first and second connection terminals
for decoding signals which are input from the first connection
terminal for the TV game machine and the second connection terminal
for the portable game machine respectively, and generating control
signals to be sent to the RAM, the selector, the state register,
the data register and the buffer respectively.
3. A game machines comprising:
the cartridge according to claim 1;
the portable game machine wherein the cartridge is detachably set;
and
a communicator that connects the portable game machine to the TV
game machine via the cartridge.
4. A game machines comprising:
the cartridge according to claim 2;
the portable game machine wherein the cartridge is detachably set;
and
a communicator that connects the portable game machine to the TV
game machine via the cartridge.
5. A bi-directional communication type game system, comprising:
at least one portable game machine;
a TV game machine to which the at least one the portable game
machine is able to be connected;
the cartridge according to claim 1 being detachably set to the
portable game machine;
a cassette containing a program content of a game for the TV game
machine to be linked to the program content stored in the ROM
provided in the cartridge to provide bi-directional communication
between the portable game machine and the TV game machine, the
cassette being detachably set to the TV game machine; and
a communicator that connects the portable game machine to the TV
game machine via the cartridge.
6. A bi-directional communication type game system, comprising:
at least one portable game machine;
a TV game machine to which the at least one the portable game
machine is able to be connected;
the cartridge according to claim 2 being detachably set to the
portable game machine;
a cassette containing a program content of a game for the TV game
machine to be linked to the program content stored in the ROM
provided in the cartridge to provide bi-directional communication
between the portable game machine and the TV game machine, the
cassette being detachably set to the TV game machine; and
a communicator which connects the portable game machine to the TV
game machine via the cartridge.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cartridge, a game machine and a
bi-directional communication type game system that makes it easy to
play a game which requires connecting a plurality of portable game
machines to one TV game machine for displaying common images on the
TV screen for all to see, and for displaying individual images on
the portable game machine display screen for only the individual
player to see.
2. Description of the Related Art
TV game machines and portable game machines have each been
commercialized, but each machine plays a single game.
Bi-directional communication between different machines, such as
between a TV game machine and a portable game machine connected to
share the same game, have not yet been commercialized. The only
exception is playing a match game connecting the same portable game
machines to one another using communication cables.
Often, concealing a player's hand is a key to enjoying and
implementing strategy in a game, such as is the case of mah-jong.
When playing a game with a TV game machine using controllers
(without displays), the players commonly see the same TV screen.
This results in all players seeing all other players' hands,
rendering it impossible to play the game according to the original
intent of the game. Therefore, in the current situation, game
conditions must be set such that a player cannot see other players'
hands, for example, one human player vs. three computer players.
This imposes many constraints to enjoyment of the game.
If the above game is played using portable game machines connected
with communication cables, a player's hand can be seen only on an
individual screen without being seen by the other players since the
portable game machine is provided with a liquid crystal display.
This overcomes the hand viewing dilemma as a common screen is not
available, i.e., a "common field", which all players need to see
during the game to inform them of the kind of tiles which are
discarded and the number of tiles that still remain in mah-jong,
for example.
Generally when playing a game such as mah-jong, one does not know
which tile another player will discard, the number of tiles another
player will draw, whether the player will reveal tiles or what
private strategy a player is forming, merely by looking at the
screen. Generally, it is not fair if one player's private strategy
is revealed to the other players by viewing the movements of their
hands during the game. When two or more players play a game
together, if a player looks at the controller of another player,
the strategy of the other player is known. In arcade games, a
partition curtain is set to partition the display horizontally, so
that players cannot see the screens or hand strategies of others.
This, however, is far from the spirit of original gaming, because
players cannot read the expressions of other players and cannot
observe the gestures of other players.
As described above, a bi-directional communication type game system
to share a game connecting different models, such as a TV game
machine and portable game machine, has not yet been commercialized.
When a game as mah-jong, is played, a player's hand cannot be
concealed when using a TV game machine, since individual screens do
not exist, and the game cannot be played smoothly when using a
portable game machine since a common screen does not exist. In both
cases, it is impossible to enjoy such a strategy oriented thinking
game if other players can see the other players' hands thus
revealing their strategy.
Home TV game machines are based on playing games at home. Portable
game machines are used in a wide environment, including in homes
and outdoors. If both types of machines could be connected to share
a game, utilizing the respective advantages of home game machines
and portable game machines, the above mentioned type of games could
be supported and games would diversify. The present invention was
made based on this knowledge.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a cartridge, a
game machine and a bi-directional communication type game system
which solve the problems of the prior art described above by
exchanging data directionally by connecting a TV game machine and
portable game machines so that new game play becomes possible.
An example of a portable game machine is Gameboy (registered
trademark) which has a liquid crystal display and a cross-key. An
example of a TV game machine which bi-directionally communicates
with the portable game machine is "NINTENDO 64" (registered
trademark), "Super Famicon" (product name), and "Family Computer"
(product name), where a plurality of controllers are connected so
that two or more players can play at the same time.
Appropriate games are thinking games played by two or more players,
such as mah-jong, Hanafuda, cards (poker, seven card bridge,
canasta), where no game-strategy is established if tiles or cards
of a player are revealed to the other players. This system can also
be applied to games where a player's hand can be revealed to the
other players, such as bowling, go, shogi and chess without
detracting from the spirit of the game. Likewise, the system can be
applied to a one player game, such as solitaire. The desirable RAM
for these types of games is S-RAM (Static RAM), which can hold
stored content for a long time by using a backup battery.
ROM stores a game program to a TV game machine and a portable game
machine respectively. The ROM for a game stores the program content
in the TV game machine for developing an overall game, whereas, the
ROM of the portable game machine stores the program content for
assisting the game development of a player or for progressing a
game. In the case of a game played by two or more players, such as
mahjong, the former program content relates to the general and
common aspects of the game which the other players can see, and the
latter program content relates to the individual and confidential
aspects of the game, that is, tiles or cards that the other players
should not see. The program of the portable game machine normally
has content which allows a single player to play alone, so that
playing a game is possible even if disconnected from a TV game
machine. In the case of bi-directional communication, it is
instructed such that a stand-alone program is not executed but a
common program linked with the program for a home TV game machine
is executed, and concealed content is displayed only on the display
of the local machine.
The simplest and least expensive way to connect a TV game machine
and a portable game machine with a display is to use a
communication cable. However, infrared communication or high
frequency radio communication may also be used as the means of
communication. For bi-directionally exchanging data required for
development of a game between the TV game machine and the above
mentioned portable game machine, image display instructions and
voice output instructions sent from the TV game machine to the
portable game machine, and data required for bi-directional
communication sent from the portable game machine to the TV game
machine, such as the input information of the control system are
used.
Common images that any player can see are discarded tiles, stacked
tiles and revealed tiles of mah-jong, for example, which are
displayed on the display of the TV game machine. Individual images
which only one player can see are the player's own tiles and drawn
tiles, which are displayed only on the display of the portable game
machine.
The program content to develop an overall game is stored on the
cassette for the TV game machine, and the program content to assist
game development of an individual player or to progress the game is
stored on the cartridge for the portable game machine with a
display. The TV game machine, with a display where the cassette for
the TV game machine is set, and the portable game machine, with a
display where-the-cartridge for the portable game machine is set,
are connected. Data required for development of the game is
bi-directionally exchanged between the TV game machine and the
portable game machines based on both machine's programs. Common
images that any player can see are displayed on the display of the
TV game machine, and individual images which only a particular
player can see are displayed on the display of the respective
portable game machine.
The present invention is a cartridge for connecting the portable
game machine to the TV game machine. The invention comprises a
connection terminal for a portable game machine to be connected to
the above mentioned portable game machine, and a case with a
connection terminal for a home TV game machine to be connected to
the TV game machine via a communication cable. The above mentioned
invention further comprises a bus for connecting both of the above
mentioned connection terminals, an interface which is connected to
the bus for enabling bi-directional communication between the
portable game machine and the TV game machine, a ROM which is
connected to the above mentioned bus for storing the program
content of a prescribed game, and a RAM for storing saved data to
be added to the content of the above mentioned game.
If a portable game machine is connected to a TV game machine to
perform bi-directional communication, using the simple structure of
merely installing a bus and a control circuit to a conventional
cartridge having ROM, new game play where independent screens are
displayed on the display of the portable game machine and on the
display of the TV game machine, such as a thinking game by two or
more players which a TV game machine or a portable game machine
could not implement alone, can be enjoyed without revealing a
player's hands or strategies to the other players.
In the above invention, it is desirable that the above mentioned
interface comprises: a selector for selectively connecting the
above mentioned RAM to the above mentioned connection terminal for
a home TV game machine or to the above mentioned connection
terminal for a portable game machine; a state register for storing
the selected state of the above mentioned selector; a buffer for
relaying the content of the above mentioned state register to the
connection terminal for a home TV game machine and the connection
terminal for a portable game machine; a data register for
temporarily storing such data as image display instructions and
voice output instructions which are input from the connection
terminal for a home TV game machine, outputting the data to the
connection terminal for a portable game machine, temporarily
storing such data as the input information of the control system
which is input from the connection terminal for a portable game
machine, and outputting the data to the connection terminal for a
home TV game machine; and a decoder connected to the above
mentioned connection terminal for a home TV game machine and the
connection terminal for a portable game machine, for decoding
signals which are input from the above mentioned connection
terminal for a home TV game machine and the above mentioned
connection terminal for a portable game machine respectively, and
generating control signals to be sent to the above mentioned RAM,
above mentioned selector, above mentioned state register, above
mentioned data register and above mentioned buffer
respectively.
A game machine can be constructed by the cartridge of the above
mentioned invention, whereby, the cartridge and communication means
connect the portable game machine to the above mentioned TV game
machine via the above mentioned cartridge. A bi-directional
communication type game system can be constructed by a TV game
machine, a detachable cassette providing game content for the TV
game machine to be linked with the program content of the above
mentioned ROM for bi-directional communication with a portable game
machine, the cartridge of the above mentioned invention, a
plurality of portable game machines to which the cartridge is
detachably set, and communication means for connecting the
plurality of portable game machines to the TV game machine via the
cartridge.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a concrete structural drawing depicting the game machine
system of the embodiment;
FIG. 2 is a rough structural drawing depicting the game machine
system of the embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting the game machine system of the
embodiment;
FIG. 4 is an internal structural drawing depicting a conventional
cartridge;
FIG. 5 is a concrete block diagram depicting the home TV game
machine of the embodiment;
FIG. 6 is an internal structural drawing depicting the portable
game machine of the embodiment;
FIG. 7 is a block diagram depicting the inside of the cartridge of
the embodiment;
FIG. 8 is a detailed block diagram depicting the inside of the
cartridge of the embodiment;
FIGS. 9A-9B are explanatory drawings depicting the TV screen of the
home TV game machine and the liquid crystal display of the portable
game machine of the embodiment;
FIG. 10 is an explanatory drawing depicting a major exchange;
and
FIG. 11 is a flow chart describing a round of mah-jong in
accordance with the embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described
below.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a bi-directional communication type
game system in accordance with the present invention. The
bi-directional communication type game system comprises a home TV
game machine 100 which uses a ROM cassette 500 using a mask ROM as
a game software, a portable game machine 400 which uses a cartridge
300 as a game software, and a communication cable 200 which
connects the home TV game machine 100 and the portable game machine
400 via the above mentioned cartridge 300.
A TV as a display, a controller as a control system, and other
components are externally connected to the home TV game machine
100. The home TV game machine comprises a ROM cassette insertion
port 101 for inserting the ROM cassette 500, a voice/image output
terminal (not illustrated) to be connected to a video input
terminal of the TV, and a plurality of (four in the illustrated
example) controller connection terminals 102 so that game content
can be displayed on the TV screen for playing, the game.
The portable game machine 400 comprises a liquid crystal display
401 used as a monitor and a control system 402 including a
cross-key and push buttons, which are built-in, and controls the
home TV game machine 100 by setting a cartridge 300 and connecting
the cartridge 300 to the home TV game machine 100.
The communication cable 200 has a connection terminal 201 to be
connected to the cartridge 300 of the portable game machine at one
end, and a connection jack 202 to be connected to a controller
connection terminal 102 of the home TV game machine 100 at the
other end, and transmits data to be exchanged for bi-directional
communication between the portable game machine 400 and the home TV
game machine 100.
The ROM cassette 500 houses ROM storing a game software. Content of
the game software is content primarily related to the common screen
(images that the other players can see) of the game.
The cartridge 300 has a connection terminal 301 for a portable game
machine 400 at one end and a connection terminal 302 for a home TV
game machine 100 at the other end to implement bi-directional
communication. The connection terminal 301 for a portable game
machine 400, which is inserted to the cartridge insertion port of
the portable game machine 400, is located at one end of the case
350, and the connection terminal 302 for a home TV game machine
100, which is connected with the connection terminal 201 of the
communication cable 200, is located at the other end of the case
350. The case 350 houses a ROM storing a game software, and a
control circuit 308 required for bi-directional communication
between the portable game machine 400 and the TV game machine 100.
The content of the game software provided in cartridge 300 is
content primarily related to an individual screen of a common game
(images which the other players should not see).
FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration depicting the bi-directional
communication type game system when a maximum number of portable
game machines 400 are connected to one home TV game machine
100.
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram depicting the home TV game
machine 100, the cartridge 300 and the portable game machine
400.
The home TV game machine 100 comprises a CPU, a RAM, an image
circuit, an acoustic circuit, an input circuit, a ROM and a
connection terminal 102, to which the TV 600 is externally
connected when the home TV game machine 100 is used for an ordinary
game. The input device (a control pad or a controller) is connected
to the connection terminal 102 of the home TV game machine 100 and
to cartridge 300 from portable game machine 400. The
acoustic-circuit is connected to a speaker which is not
illustrated.
The portable game machine 400 comprises a CPU, a RAM, an image
circuit, an acoustic circuit, an input circuit and a connection
terminal 403. When a conventional portable game machine 400 is used
by itself, a conventional type cartridge 300 is connected to the
above mentioned connection terminal 403 of the portable game
machine 400, and the program of the game built-in to the ROM inside
the cartridge is used for playing. The acoustic circuit is
connected to a speaker which is not illustrated.
In the internal configuration of the cartridge 300 of the present
invention, a bus 303 to which an interface 305 is connected to
enable bi-directional communication between the home TV game
machine 100 and the portable game machine 400 runs between the
connection terminal 301 for a portable game machine 400 and the
connection terminal 302 for a home TV game machine 100. The ROM 304
storing game software is connected to the bus 303 and the RAM 306
which temporarily stores saved data is connected to the interface
305. The saved data here includes input information of the control
system 402 of the portable game machine 400, program processing
status information of the portable game machine 400, program
processing status information of the home TV game machine 100,
parameters, flags and data from the home TV game machine 100 to the
portable game machine 400, and parameters, flags and data from the
portable game machine 400 to the home TV game machine 100. The
interface 305 and the RAM 306 comprise the control circuit 308 of
the present invention. FIG. 4 shows a functional block of a
conventional cartridge 30 for comparison. As is clearly shown,
while a conventional cartridge 30 houses only a ROM 32 connected to
one connection terminal 31, the cartridge 300 of this embodiment
has the RAM 306, the interface 305, and the connection terminal 302
to be connected to the home TV game machine 100 in addition to the
ROM 304.
In this way, the interface 305 is installed in the new type
cartridge 300, and a line for transmitting data control signals
connects between the above mentioned connection terminals 102 and
302, and between the above mentioned connection terminals 403 and
301 respectively, so that a bi-directional data exchange is
possible between the home TV game machine 100 and the portable game
machine 400.
The CPU of the portable game machine 400 processes a program stored
in the ROM 304 in the cartridge 300 for a portable game machine
400, and displays the result on the display 401. The portable game
machine CPU also reads the image data from the ROM 304, based on
the image data instructions transferred from the home TV game
machine 100, and displays the data on the display 401. The portable
game machine CPU also transfers control signals of the control
system 402 to the home TV game machine 100 via the bus 303 and the
interface 305. The CPU of the home TV game machine 100, on the
other hand, processes a program stored in the ROM in the cassette
500 for a home TV game machine, and displays the result on the TV
600. The portable game machine CPU also transfers the image data
instructions, which are for displaying the prescribed image data
stored in the ROM 304 on the display 401 of the portable game
machine 400, to the portable game machine 400. The CPU also
receives and processes signals which are generated based on the
control of the control system 402 from the portable game machine
400.
Information to be displayed on the display 401 of the portable game
machine 400 and the TV 600 of the home TV game machine 100 is not
only image data but also includes character and symbol data.
FIG. 5 is a detailed block diagram of the above mentioned home TV
game machine 100. The home TV game machine 100 houses a CPU 11, and
a bus control circuit 12. The connection terminal 13 for detachably
setting the ROM cassette 500, and the RAM 14 are connected to the
bus control circuit 12. A music signal generation circuit 15 for
outputting voice signals to be processed by the CPU 11, and the
image signal generation circuit 16 for outputting the image signals
are also connected to the bus control circuit 12. A controller
control circuit 17 used for the serial transfer of control data of
one or more portable game machines 400 and/or data of the cartridge
300 is also connected to the bus control circuit 12.
A controller connection terminal 202, which is installed on the
front face of the home TV game machine 100, is connected to the
controller control circuit 17. To the connection terminal 102, the
portable game machine 400 is detachably connected via the
connection jack 202, the communication cable 200, the connection
terminal 201 and the cartridge 300. In this way, the portable game
machine 400 is electrically connected with the home TV game machine
100 by connecting the portable game machine 400 to the connection
terminal 102, which makes mutual transmission and reception of data
possible.
More concretely, the bus control circuit 12 receives a command
which is output as parallel signals from the CPU 11 via the bus,
performs parallel--serial conversion, outputs the command as serial
signals to the controller control circuit 17, converts the data of
serial signals which are input from the controller control circuit
17 to parallel signals, and outputs the data to the bus. The data
output from the bus is processed by the CPU 11, or is stored to the
RAM 14. This means that the RAM 14 is a memory for temporarily
storing data to be processed by the CPU 11, and that data can be
read or written via the bus control circuit 12.
FIG. 6 shows a concrete block diagram of the portable game machine
400. A data bus and an address bus of the portable game machine 400
are connected to the connection terminal 403. The CPU 431 and the
interface 305 in the cartridge 300 are connected by detachably
connecting the connection terminal 301 of the cartridge 300 to the
connection terminal 403. An LCD processor 433 to generate signals
for displaying images on the liquid crystal display 401 is
connected to the CPU 431. The CPU 431 and the LCD processor 433
comprise the image signal generation means. An LCD memory 434 is
connected to the LCD processor 433. A working RAM (W-RAM) 435 is
also connected to the CPU 431. The W-RAM 435 is used as a working
area to temporarily store processing data for game processing, or
as an image data transfer buffer. The CPU 431 also connects the
control system 402, such as the cross-key, and the push button
switch via the interface 436.
The interface 436 reads signals which change depending on the
pressing state of the cross-key and push button switch, responding
to the output instruction signals of the switch state sent from the
interface 436 at a constant interval, and sends the data to the CPU
431.
For a concrete explanation of image processing, the data from the
CPU 431 is sent to the LCD memory 434 via the LCD processor 433,
and the data from the LCD memory 434 is sent to the LCD processor
433 for processing. The LCD processor 433 processes the music
signal data and the image signal data sent from the LCD memory 434,
and stores the data to the LCD memory 434 again. Then the LCD
processor 433 reads the music signal data and the image signal data
from the LCD memory 434 according to the instructions of the CPU
431.
FIG. 7 shows a simplified block diagram depicting the inside of the
cartridge, which is a control circuit 308 without the ROM which
stores game software. The control circuit 308 comprises image
display instructions or sound effects output instructions which are
output from the home TV game machine 100 to the portable game
machine 400, the interface 310 which performs bi-directional data
transfer by sending the input information of the control system 402
output from the portable game machine 400 to the home TV game
machine 100, a GB bus 320 for connecting the home TV game machine
100 and the portable game machine 400, and the static RAM (S-RAM)
330 for storing the saved data.
The interface 310 can be constructed as one chip, and comprises a
32 byte buffer 311, for temporarily storing the data to be
transferred from the home TV game machine 100 to the S-RAM 330 or
to the portable game machine 400, a 32 byte buffer 312 for
temporarily storing the data to be transferred from the portable
game machine 400 to the S-RAM 330 or the home TV game machine 100,
and the status buffer 313 for storing information on movement of
the currently executing process (i.e., whether the home TV game
machine 100 is operating or the portable game machine 400 is
operating).
In this way, the data from the home TV game machine 100 is sent to
the SRAM 330 or to the portable game machine 400 via the 32 byte
buffer 311 and the GB bus 320. The data from the portable game
machine 400 is transferred to the home TV game machine 100 by way
of the GB bus 320, the S-RAM 330 or the GB bus 320, and the 32 byte
buffer 312.
FIG. 8 shows a more concrete block diagram of the control circuit
308.
A solid line connecting blocks indicates a bus of the home TV game
machine system, and a dash and dotted line indicates a bus of the
portable game machine system. A thick solid line or a thick dash
and dotted line indicates a data bus, and a thin line indicates an
address bus or a control bus. The home TV game machine 100 is
connected to the S-RAM 805 by buses through the connection terminal
302, via the bus control circuit 803 for multiplexing addresses and
data and the select circuit 804, so that the saved data is written
from the home TV game machine 100 to the S-RAM 805, and the data is
read from the S-RAM 805 and is added to the content of the game of
the home TV game machine 100.
The portable game machine 400 is connected to the S-RAM 805 by
buses through the connection terminal for a portable game machine
301 via the select circuit 804, so that the saved data is written
from the portable game machine 400 to the S-RAM 805, and the data
is read from the S-RAM 805 and is added to the content of the game
of the portable game machine 400.
The decoder 806 located at the upper part of FIG. 8 generates
control signals of the home TV game machine 100 and applies the
control signals to the select circuit 804, the register 807, the
register 808, the state register 812 and the buffer 809 to control
these components. The decoder 811 located on the lower part of FIG.
8 generates control signals of the portable game machine 400, and
applies the control signals to the select circuit 804, the register
807, the register 808, the state register 812 and the buffer 810 to
control these components.
The above mentioned select circuit 804 sets whether the home TV
game machine system or the portable game machine system can use the
S-RAM 805, depending on the control signals from the decoders 806
and 811, and notifies the setting state to the state register 812
which is described later.
The home TV game machine 100 is connected to the portable game
machine 400 by buses via the register 807, and the home TV game
machine 100 sends simple image display data and sound effects
output instructions to the portable game machine 400 via the
register 807. The portable game machine 400 is connected to the
home TV game machine 100 by buses via the register 808, and the
portable game machine 400 sends input information of the control
system and simple data of the display system to the home TV game
machine 100 via the register 808. In this way, a simple data
exchange is performed between the home TV game machine 100 and the
portable game machine 400 using the above mentioned registers 807
and 808.
The state register 812 connected to the select circuit 804 by buses
holds the selected state of the S-RAM 805, to either the home TV
game machine or the portable game machine. Output of the state
register 812 is connected from the bus control circuit 803 to the
home TV game machine 100 by buses via the buffer 809, and sends the
content of the state register 812 to the home TV game machine 100
via the buffer 809 to notify the selected state. Output of the
state register 812 connected to the select circuit 804 by buses is
also connected to the portable game machine 400 by buses via the
buffer 810, and sends the content of the state register 812 to the
portable game machine 400 via the buffer 810 to notify the selected
state.
In the connection area with the home TV game machine 100, the bus
control circuit 803 which is not interleaved in the connection area
with the portable game machine 400 is interleaved in the connection
area with the home TV game machine 100, because matching with the
multiplexed path used in the internal circuit of the home TV game
machine 100 is necessary.
A bi-directional communication game using the above mentioned
cartridge is hereafter, described. A "mah-jong" game which two or
more individuals can play is used as an example. Only one player
can play a mah-jong game with a conventional TV game or a portable
game machine, because if two or more individuals play, one player's
hand would be revealed to the other players. If the system of the
invention is used, however, two or more players can enjoy a
mah-jong game because each individual has their own private
display. Also, whereas actual mah-jong requires four players to
play a game, with the home TV game, the computer plays for the
missing human players. Therefore, even two players can play a
game.
Display format
As FIG. 9(A) shows, information on a common field related to all
players is displayed on the TV 600 connected to the home TV game
machine 100. The information displayed includes discarded tiles
610, number of remaining tiles, stacked tiles 611, revealed tiles
612, round wind and seat wind 613, turn indicator (displays the
player whose turn it is now), and scores of all players 614.
As FIG. 9(B) shows, minimum individual images required to form a
player's hand are displayed on the liquid crystal display 401 of
the portable game machine 400. These images include tiles in the
player's hand 411, tiles the player drew 412, score of the player,
dragon files, tiles discarded by other players 413, round wind and
seat wind 414, turn (displays the player whose turn it is now)
Processing format
FIG. 10 shows a major data exchange between the home TV game
machine 100 and the portable game machine 400. Data to be exchanged
here is instruction data with a small information volume, such as
image display instructions and sound effects output instructions,
and saved data and loaded data for storing game results of previous
play. Image display data with a large information volume and sound
effects data itself are not included. For large information volume
image display data and sound effects data, data stored in the ROM
of the local machine is used. This decreases the time required for
transfers. For this reason, the program has been stored both in the
home TV game machine 100 and in the portable game machine 400,
i.e., cassette 500 and cartridge 300, respectively. Such
instruction data as image display instructions and sound effects
output instructions are exchanged via the registers 807 and 808,
and saved data and loaded data storing the game results of previous
play are exchanged via the S-RAM 805.
At the portable game machine 400, data required for the play of
each portable game machine 400 is stored in the ROM 304 of the
cartridge 300 which is set to the portable game machine 400. This
means that image data and voice data are stored and image data
instructions and voice output instructions from the home TV game
machine 100 determine which image or voice is output to the display
and the speaker.
Therefore, the image display data stored in the ROM of the portable
game machine 400 on the display of the portable game machine 400
and the instructions to output sound effects output stored in the
above mentioned ROM to the speaker are sent from the home TV game
machine 100 to the portable game machine 400.
Signals selected by the control system of the portable game machine
400 are sent from the portable game machine 400 to the home TV game
machine 100 as input information of the control system.
Next a flow of one round of the mah-jong is described using the
flow chart in FIG. 11. First the ROM cassette 500 housing a
mah-jong software (hereafter "master software") for a home TV game
machine 100 linked with the portable game machine 400 is set to the
ROM cassette insertion port 101 in advance. The cartridge 300
housing mah-jong game software (hereafter "slave software") for a
portable game machine 400 linked with the home TV game machine is
set to the insertion port connection terminal 403 of the portable
game machine 400. The home TV game machine 100 and the portable
game machine 400 can exchange data by connecting the home TV game
machine 100 and the portable game machine 400 via the cartridge 300
using the communication cable 200.
The power supplies of both the home TV game machine 100 and the
portable game machine 400 are turned ON, and the game is started by
pressing the start button of the control system 402 of the portable
game machine 400 (Step 701). If the previous data saved in the
"slave software" is written to the S-RAM 805 at this time, and is
read whenever necessary to set to the computer of the home TV game
machine 100, a game can be played continuously using the previous
data. The TV 600 of the home TV game machine 100 and the liquid
crystal display 401 of the portable game machine 400 display
prescribed initial screens respectively. The signal from the start
button is transmitted from the portable game machine 400 to the
home TV game machine 100 via the register 808 in the cartridge 302,
the bus control circuit 803 and the communication cable 200. When
the home TV game machine 100 receives the above mentioned signal,
the CPU 11 accesses the ROM of the cassette 500, sends the image
display data for stacking tiles and casting dice and the sound
effects data to the TV 600 connected to the home TV game machine
100, and displays the images on the TV 600 along with the sound
effects via the music signal generation circuit 15 and the image
signal generation circuit 16 (Step 702). When tiles to be
distributed to each portable game machine 400 are determined based
on the result of casting dice, tile instruction data of an
individual player is sent from the home game machine 100 to the
portable game machine 400 of each player via-the communication
cable 200, the bus control circuit 803 in the cartridge 300, and
the register 807. The CPU 431 receives this instruction data,
accesses the ROM 304 in the cartridge 300, sends the image display
data for stacking tiles and casting dice and the sound effects data
to the liquid crystal display 401 of the portable game machine 400,
and displays the image on the liquid crystal display 401 of each
portable game machine 400 along with the sound effects via the LCD
processor 433 and the LCD memory 434 (Step 703).
In the portable game machine 400, the first player draws tiles
(Step 704). It is judged whether the player wins with the tiles,
and if the player wins, the judgment result is sent to the home TV
game machine 100, the score at winning is calculated, and the
images of the seat and tiles at this time are displayed on the TV
screen of the home TV game machine 100 (Step 706).
If the player does not win in Step 705, the player selects whether
to use the advice function in the portable game machine 400 (Step
707). The advice function here uses the operation processing
function of the CPU 431 of the portable game machine 400. If this
function is used, discard tile advice from the computer on which
tile should be discarded is displayed (Step 708), and if this
advice function is not used, the player alone decides on a tile to
be discarded (Step 709). After the display or the decision of step
708 or 709, the player discards the tile (Step 710).
The discarded tile is displayed on the liquid crystal display 401
of the portable game machine 400, and at this time, the portable
game machine 400 sends the discarded tile information to the home
game machine 100, and displays the discarded tile on the TV screen
of the home TV game machine 100 as well.
If there are tiles that can be revealed in the portable game
machine 400, the tiles flash for a specified time (712). The player
determines whether to reveal them or not (Step 713), if NO, then
the player turn shifts to the next player (Step 714), and the game
returns to Step 704 where the player draws tiles. If YES, then it
is judged whether the player wins (Step 715), and if the player has
not yet won, the game returns to Step 707 where using the advice
function is selected. If the player wins, the information is
transferred to the home game machine 100, score is calculated by
the home game machine 100, images of the seat and the tiles are
displayed on the TV screen (Step 716), and one round ends (Step
717).
A thinking game is not established if a player's hand is revealed
to the other players. A thinking game, such as in mah-jong,
Hanafuda, cards (poker, seven card bridge, canasta), is not
possible with one conventional common monitor but would be possible
if two or more portable game machines with displays are connected
to the common home TV game machine as shown in the embodiment,
whereby an individual player's hand and strategy is displayed only
on the display of the respective portable game machine.
In the above mentioned embodiment, a mask ROM was used for the ROM
cassette 500, but other media, such as CD-ROM and DVD, may be used.
The home TV game machine and the portable game machine are
connected with the communication cable for cable communication, but
this may be wireless communication, such as infrared
communication.
Also in the above mentioned embodiment, the home TV game machine
was used for explanation, but the present invention can also be
applied to a business TV game machine. In the embodiment, the
cartridge and the communication cable are separate units but they
may be integrated. Also in the above embodiment, the cartridge 300
is set to the portable game machine 400 side, but may be set to the
home TV game machine side. The home TV game machine set forth above
may include an industrial TV game machine, such as an arcade game
machine.
According to the present invention, where an individual player's
hand can be displayed only on the display of an individual portable
game machine with a simple structure merely by modifying the
cartridge, without changing the TV game machine or and a portable
game machine, a thinking game, which is not established if a
player's hand is revealed to the other players, such as mahjong,
Hanafuda and cards, played by two or more players, can be enjoyed.
Since data is exchanged between the TV game machine and the
portable game machine connected by communication means, the TV game
machine and the portable game machine can share the data. The TV
game machine can be used jointly by two or more players.
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